Planting seeds of hope in a volatile world: reflections from our Network-Wide Gathering in Slovenia

What happens when you bring over 60 activists, policy experts, changemakers and overall great human beings together in one place to discuss zero waste for three days? MAGIC. The Network-Wide Gathering (NWG) is not only an opportunity for connection, strategy and learning, but also an important reminder of what we do, why we do it – and especially in a world where pushback on environmental policies is increasing – that we are not doing it alone. Indeed, community lies at the heart of the zero waste movement, with the common understanding that the most impactful zero waste strategies are born from, built by and beneficial to communities in Europe and across the world. This year, we could not have chosen a more fitting country to host our gathering than Slovenia, the most zero waste certified country in Europe – where zero waste is not only a theoretical goal but very much a practical part of everyday life.

Slovenia: leading the way on zero waste

With its snow-capped mountains, clear blue lakes and abundance of forests, Slovenia is not only a stunning backdrop but a living case study of zero waste in action. Home to 2.13 million people, Slovenia has five zero waste certified cities and one zero waste certified business, along with a dozen on the way to Candidate status and more than 20 events on the path to zero waste – demonstrating that even small countries with large numbers of tourists can implement effective circular economy strategies at the local level. The country also boasts an array of reuse centres, a network of Libraries of Things, frequent second-hand exchange events and a growing repair movement. Much of this impressive work is spearheaded by the team at Ekologi Brez Meja (EBM), our hosts and co-organisers of the NWG. Not only did they welcome us to their country with open arms, but their warmth, enthusiasm and humour set the tone for the entire gathering.

“Hosting this year’s Network-Wide Gathering in Slovenia was a real joy for our team. Once a year, we get the chance to step away from screens, reports and daily firefighting, and simply spend time with people who understand both the challenges and the hope behind zero waste work. These moments of sharing knowledge, experiences, ideas, doubts, failed attempts and victories remind us why this network matters so much. We returned home tired, inspired and recharged for at least another 11 months.”

Alenka Dujanović, Ekologi Brez Meja

Starting with textiles: Will Extended Producer Responsibility be enough?

Before the NWG officially kicked off, EBM hosted an international conference on one of the most pressing challenges in European waste policy: textile waste. Held as part of the Threads of Change project in partnership with Zero Waste Europe, the conference brought together policymakers, practitioners and advocates to examine the path towards Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for textiles in Slovenia and across Europe.

The discussions highlighted a stark reality: textile waste volumes across Europe are growing faster than the systems designed to manage them. Participants stressed that EPR alone cannot solve the crisis if it remains focused only on waste collection and recycling. Instead, future systems must actively support waste prevention, reuse, repair, better product design and truly circular business models. Speakers also warned that Europe will not achieve a circular textile system without addressing the overproduction driven by ultra-fast fashion and the export of textile waste problems to countries in the Global South.

Particular attention was given to the situation in Slovenia, where textile collection infrastructure remains underdeveloped and large amounts of collected textiles are still exported unsorted. Participants emphasised the urgent need for domestic sorting capacities, textile recycling infrastructure, stronger support for reuse centres and closer cooperation between municipalities, social economy actors, designers and industry.

While Slovenia is often praised for its progressive approach to waste management, the country still faces significant challenges – including planned incineration facilities and lagging implementation of EU policies. The shift towards more circular resource management thinking, rather than a narrow focus on waste management, is still underway. EBM  has their work cut out for them as they continue showing what’s possible with a zero waste approach.

Three days to reconnect, share and build a common strategy

The Network-Wide Gathering is neither a conference nor a meeting, but an open collaborative space designed to help members learn from each other, find common ground and ignite the spark needed for collaboration.

One of the ways we facilitate this is through Open Spaces. Our gathering is full of inspirational and thought-provoking moments, and we encourage members to propose topics they are curious about or want input on from other members. Over three rounds of 45 minutes, with five to six parallel sessions, members led discussions with no set agenda – just spontaneity and curiosity in action. These bright ideas led to discussions on a diverse array of topics including Toxic-Free Municipalities, Behaviour Change and Storytelling, and the Global Reuse Consortium.

The Zero Waste Fair gave each member organisation the opportunity to find out more about each other’s priorities, explore collaborations, offer their expertise to other members and seek support in areas where they may be struggling.

“It was my second time participating in the Network-Wide Gathering, and although I met many new people, it was incredibly heartwarming to reconnect with old friends as well. The amount of knowledge and experience within this movement is truly immense. You constantly know that there is so much to learn, yet at the same time, you never feel judged if there is something you don’t know or can’t fully explain. The diversity of cultures and experiences makes this community both professionally supportive and genuinely fun to spend time with.”

Marianne Sepp, Zero Waste Estonia

During our Storytelling From The Network sessions, members presented key campaigns, projects, learnings and best practices to the network, including:

• Ekologi Brez Meja from Slovenia presented how their data-driven approach led them to tackling digital waste, advocating against software updates that make functional hardware obsolete, and running a three-year Digital Clean-Up Day campaign.
• ZERO from Portugal shared their eight-year journey to launching a national Deposit Return System (DRS) – one that was proposed by a small political party, faced years of parliamentary indifference, and eventually passed with no votes against.
• The STICT project – Europe’s first textiles-focused implementation project – brought together three cities: Bled, Brussels and Saku, to map textile collection infrastructure, make second-hand fashion more equitable and run mobile textile collection campaigns.
• ECOREC from Greece told the story of 36 years of ecological advocacy in Athens, where good laws exist but are rarely implemented. Despite this, the organisation is continuing to push for separate bio-waste collection across Athens, is developing a Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) model, and laid the foundation for the first zero waste island in Greece – Tilos.

Topic stations allowed participants to dive deeper into different areas of work based on the strategic needs of the network. Six stations were hosted during the gathering, with conversations surrounding:

• Developing a food strategy that reflects the local context of our network;
• Moving forward on EPR governance at EU level with the upcoming Circular Economy Act (CEA) and the national transposition of EPR for textiles;
• Making the economic case for reuse systems;
• Tackling ultra-fast fashion across Member States and strengthening our advocacy efforts around textiles;
• Shining a light on the negative health impacts of incineration; and
• Creating an environmental justice toolkit to help guide members in this area of work.

The Network-Wide Gathering was also a moment to celebrate the growth of our network. We were delighted to welcome two new associated members: Marche a Rifiuti Zero (Italy) and Zero Waste Lab (Portugal). We also marked a significant milestone as Circular Economy Portugal stepped up to become a full member.

Zero waste in action: learning from Bled

No NWG would be complete without getting up close and personal with some zero waste infrastructure. We were lucky to be staying in the beautiful town of Bohinj Bistrica, just a few kilometres from the crown jewel of Slovenia: Bled. Not only is Bled famous for the iridescent waters of its crystal-clear lake – which attracted nearly 500,000 tourists and generated over 1.2 million overnight stays in 2025 alone – but it’s also Europe’s first zero waste certified city. One group visited Ribno Alpine Resort, Europe’s first 3-star zero waste certified hotel, for a first-hand look at what sustainable hospitality means in practice. The other group headed to Bled’s waste management centre, where they toured the recycling yard and heard about the passion and dedication of the workers to make Bled zero waste.

A European gathering with a global perspective

Many of us work locally – but it’s important to remind ourselves that we are part of something bigger. That’s exactly what Froilan Grate, Executive Director of GAIA Asia Pacific did when telling the story of our global zero waste movement. GAIA is a global alliance of more than 1,000 organisations across 92 countries, and the only global network working on zero waste. GAIA’s work spans plastics, zero waste cities, anti-incineration, batteries and climate – coordinated through regional offices across Africa, Latin America, the US and Canada, Asia Pacific and Europe.

Froilan brought particular insight from the Asia Pacific region, and with that, an understanding of how global networks should work. Models of waste management and prevention are still too often decided in the Global North and applied to the Global South without consulting the local communities who live with the consequences every day. Rather than laying blame, Froilan advocated for a genuinely collaborative model between regions – one that builds solidarity across contexts, amplifies a shared voice, and refuses to replicate the divides it’s trying to dismantle. Only by working in solidarity can we truly increase our collective impact.

Adapting zero waste to a volatile world

Zero waste does not exist in a vacuum, and discussions across our membership made clear that everyone is navigating a rapidly changing world: shrinking civic spaces, cuts to public funding for environmental NGOs, and political climates that are becoming more hostile to our work. In Hungary, Humusz is cautiously optimistic after years of carefully staying under the radar. In Slovakia, Friends of the Earth – SPZ is focusing on mobilising citizens in the face of funding cuts and a shrinking media landscape. Zero Waste France is navigating a complicated political landscape by building a grassroots movement.

“The Network-Wide Gathering is not only a professional network, but also a space for solidarity, support and shared learning. It feels like a big family where everyone has their own character, lifestyle and cultural background, yet we are united by shared values and a common vision for the future. It helps us, in Ukraine, stay connected to European best practices and reminds us that even in difficult times we are building the future together.”

Anna Prokaeva, Zero Waste Ukraine

At the European level, the zero waste movement has fought to keep conversations around circularity and waste reduction at the table – and is succeeding. Reflecting on twenty years of this work, Zero Waste Europe’s founder Joan Marc Simon highlighted the network itself as its most powerful achievement. Times might be tougher now, but the network is also stronger. As Esra Tat, Executive Director of Zero Waste Europe, put it: as a network, we need to find a balance between fighting against and fighting for. Because fighting against is exhausting, and we are in this for the long run.

Until next year

Three days go by quickly, but it’s what stays with us that matters. We leave the Network-Wide Gathering with new policy ideas, best practices to try and new projects to develop – but the most precious thing we take from Slovenia this year is the conviction that this work is worth doing, and that we are doing it together, across Europe and around the world. Thank you to our gracious hosts Ekologi Brez Meja, and let’s keep planting seeds. 

“Our annual meeting is one of the most significant moments for our network: a time to come together in person, to learn, strategise, and remind ourselves why this work matters. This year’s gathering in Slovenia was a testament to everything our network represents: commitment, ideas, perseverance, warmth, and generosity. I left with a full heart and mind and feel grateful for everyone who joined us in Slovenia from across Europe and all the way from the Philippines. This time together reminds us that our community, connections, and collective work know no borders – brez meja in Slovenian. Thank you to everyone who made it possible and who make this movement so special.”

Stephanie Yates, Head of Network & Movement Building

Photo credits: @Polona Ponikvar